


(You and Me) and Deino Makes Three

by Xachyn



Category: Pocket Monsters: Sword & Shield | Pokemon Sword & Shield Versions
Genre: And also inadvertent co-habitation, Developing Relationship, Inadvertent co-parenting, Lots of it, M/M, Mutual Pining, Set post canon ish, Some Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Some semblance of plot
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-01
Updated: 2021-03-08
Packaged: 2021-03-14 00:20:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 8,862
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29784303
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Xachyn/pseuds/Xachyn
Summary: “Why don’t the both of you look after him together, then?” Kabu suggested as Deino mewled keenly. Next to him, Raihan brightened, and the grip he had on Piers’ arm tightened ever so slightly. It sent hot sparks under Piers' skin in an indecipherable manner, and he squashed that random, unwanted piece of information and stuffed it somewhere it wouldn’t see the light of day.“Yes!” Raihan cheered, “you hear that little buddy? We’re gonna be your daddies!” Deino turned towards them, its little stubble of a tail shaking excitedly in anticipation.Piers groaned, glaring skywards in worry of what was to come.--In which Piers and Raihan unexpectedly find themselves becoming co-parents to a baby Deino, and find their emotional walls demolished along the way.
Relationships: Kibana | Raihan/Nezu | Piers
Comments: 10
Kudos: 43





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Genuine apologies for the constant POV switching in this chapter /face in hands/

Piers shifted impatiently in his seat, the yellowed plastic seat squeaking noisily as he moved. Next to him, with one empty seat between them, Raihan seemed relaxed, scrolling through his Rotom phone in wait. It’s only the occasional surreptitious looks that he would shoot Piers that betrayed his otherwise cool posture.  


It was not often that Piers found himself at Motorstoke stadium, much less in the audience stands with the rows of empty plastic seats stretching out beside them. Even his company was unorthodox - he hadn't seen Raihan since the Dynamax incident, and after that he had carefully navigated around all of Raihan's invitations for another battle. The longer they waited for Kabu, the higher the risk of Raihan asking him about it again. It wasn’t that he disliked Raihan, whom he thought was fairly amicable, but he’s always kept the rest of the gym leaders at a few arms’ lengths away, and felt little inclination to change that.  


Piers tapped his foot against the floor once, twice, and then turned to his lone companion to break the silence between them.  


“Any idea what’s going on?”  


Raihan bit his lower lip briefly before shrugging, his head shaking slightly. Piers sighed. Kabu was the type to show up fifteen minutes before a meeting, and it was highly uncharacteristic for him to turn up late for a discussion that he had called for.  


“Not a clue, but,” Raihan said, his Rotom-phone sliding neatly into his pocket as he sat up, “Kabu wouldn’t call us out here without good reason.”  


Piers exhaled, mostly to himself. He supposed that was true, but still. Why him? Why the both of them? Piers hadn’t been a gym leader for months, having handed it over to Marnie, so it couldn’t have been some sort of issue with the league. Outside of that, he had no idea what he could possibly have in common with Raihan.  


Raihan shifting, turning bodily to face him. Ah. Well, he’s gone ten minutes in Piers’ presence without bringing up another battle invite. He supposed that was a decent record. Raihan’s mouth opened, but then he paused, glancing behind Piers’ shoulder as he lit up.  


“Oh, there’s the man!” Raihan exclaimed, and Piers turned around.  


Kabu was trotting towards them, struggling with… a bundle of towels? Whatever it was, it seemed to fight Kabu along the way, bulging in odd places as Kabu held it gingerly in his arms.

“My apologies for being late,” Kabu said, breathless as he continued to wrestle with his armful of linens, “but I was having some trouble with this guy.”  


‘This guy’ spilled out of Kabu’s arms, and turned out to be a smallish pokemon with deep black fur covering most of its blue body and half its face. It mewled up at them blindly, ramming into the plastic backrest of the seat in front of them, until it decided that chewing the seat made for a better option.

“It’s a Deino!” Raihan crowed excitedly, Rotom-phone already buzzing around taking a million photos of the little Pokemon, “Where did you find him, Kabu? They’re meant to be super rare.”  


“We found him breaking into the stadium a couple of days back,” Kabu said, as he folded up the towels that had been used to wrap dragon pokemon, “we’ve not been able to locate a trainer or a parent, and he’s been quite the handful. I believed it was in his best interests that I turned to our resident experts on him - my research tells me that Deinos are Dark and Dragon type pokemon?”  


“Oh yes,” Raihan crooned, and the Deino clambered up the backseat, tumbling into Piers’ lap and sniffing up at him appraisingly. If Piers was honest with himself, it actually was adorable.

“Careful,” Kabu said in warning, “he tends to bite. _A lot_. One of my trainers had the misfortune of putting his hands too close to its mouth while feeding it.”  


Piers winced as Raihan nodded sagely, “Yes, it’s true. Deinos are entirely blind and have an insatiable appetite, so its first instinct is to bite anything it encounters.”  


“Should I be worried?” Piers muttered as the Deino continued sniffing around at him, lightly bumping against his torso with its furry head. Whatever instinct he had in wanting to reach out to run his hand through its glossy fur was now well and fully squashed, “well, seeing as Raihan is clearly the expert on this, I should just… go.”  


“Not so fast!” Raihan exclaimed, hand curling around Piers’ arm to hold him in place, “Look! He’s getting used to you!” he reached out carefully to let Deino sniff at his hand, but the baby dragon only snapped at him before returning to rub its furry head against Piers, settling itself in his lap in blissful ignorance. Piers sighed, feeling a headache coming on.

“Great. Good thing then that I know absolutely nothing about him.”  


“It’s fine, it’s fine,” Raihan said, coming closer to peer at it, close enough that Piers could trace the fine lines of Raihan’s hair. “Listen, baby dragon pokemon? _Super needy._ It’s tough for them to feel comfortable, so it’s probably why he was giving Kabu such a hard time. He likes you though! He’s warming up to you so quickly!”  


“Why don’t the both of you look after him together then?” Kabu suggested, and Raihan brightened excitably, the grip he had on Piers’ arm tightening ever so slightly. It sent hot sparks along his skin in an indecipherable manner, and he squashed that random, unwanted piece of information and stuffed it somewhere it wouldn’t see the light of day.

“Yes! _Yes!_ ” Raihan cheered, “You hear that little buddy!? We’re gonna be your daddies!” Deino turned towards them, its little stubble of a tail shaking excitedly in anticipation.  


Piers groaned, glaring skywards in worry of what was to come.  


Kabu left them after that to make arrangements between themselves, and Piers let Raihan talk his ear off about Deino’s behaviours and needs through the teething period. Raihan seemed unwilling to part, and Piers felt bad for him. He was happy to look after the pokemon, but it was clear that Raihan had quickly fallen in love with the small guy, even though Deino seemed to favour Piers more.  


Just the way things worked, he supposed.  


Armed with a very long list of reading material that Raihan had promptly sent to his phone, Piers schlepped back to Spikemuth in a Corvicab, Deino napped peacefully in his arms.  


Arceus damn it, he was warming up to the little bugger too. 

* * *

To say that Raihan was excited was an understatement. Deinos were incredibly rare, and there had been many occasions in which he had spent days camping out in the Wild Area in search of one but to no avail. Piers had expressed having to return to Spikemuth urgently for one thing or another, so Raihan had sent him off with a very detailed list on the habits of baby dragon pokemon and a promise to meet him again in a couple of days time. For now, all Raihan had were the photos that he had taken earlier in the day.  


“Look at this one!” he exclaimed, leaning the sprawling couch in his living room with his Rotom phone floating before him, going through the pictures with Flygon pulled up close, “Look at how tiny he is! Oh, you used to be so tiny too, it’s adorable,” he cooed, arms around Flygon’s neck as he squeezed lightly.

The image on the screen flicked to one of Piers looking down on the Deino with a warm expression. Despite his sharp tongue, Piers had always had a boundless capacity for kindness towards anything and anyone smaller than him. His relationship with Marnie was obvious enough, but Raihan had also seen the way Piers interacted with Gloria and heard the stories from Milo about how he had cheered up Hop when Leon’s brother had been depressed from his losing streak.  


And then, of course, there was their first (and last) battle against each other where Raihan was not just a bystander in the blast radius of Piers’ battling prowess and passion, but the direct target of it, finding a remarkable ferocity that stirred up a million things in him.

To say that he was interested in Piers would be a severe understatement.  


Piers was an enigma that Raihan would love to understand, even if a little belated now. All those years as colleagues squandered away, the only thing tying them together now was Piers' reluctant agreement for another battle some day. For Kabu to bring Deino to them on a platter like this? Truly, Arceus was favouring him. Every right thing that he had ever done in his life had led him to this moment. He ought to bring Kabu a massive Christmas gift this year.

"Isn't he just the cutest?" Raihan sighed, probing Flygon pathetically. It's hard to say who he really meant, and Flygon whined softly, headbutting him.  


He's pulled from his maudlin wistfulness, however, when the doorbell rang. Raihan's eyes flicked to the time - it was nearly eleven at night.  


"Must be Leon," he mused as he pushed himself up to make his way to the door, Flygon padding behind him in tow. No one else visited him this late, though, wouldn't it be nice if it was Piers at his doorstep instead, Raihan mused absentmindedly.

As he pulled the door open, he blinked twice, wondering if he had somehow willed his imagination into existence. On the other side, Piers stood there, a somewhat sheepish blush across his face, a huge contrast from the Deino crowing cheerfully in his arms. Damn it, Raihan wanted to pull the both of them into his arms.  


"Sorry to do this," Piers said, not quite looking at him, "but he wouldn't settle down at all and got into a fight with Marnie's Morpeko. She's got an exhibition fight with Gloria tomorrow and I reckon she really needs to get a good night's rest, so…"

Raihan nodded, stepping aside to let him in, and Piers gave him a rare expression of sincere gratitude.  


"They can get pretty territorial," Raihan said slowly, as if a steady voice could slow down his rapidly beating heart, "took me ages to get this guy to play nice with Turtonator," he jerked a thumb at Flygon, who responded by nudging at him with reproach.

Piers hummed, "Really? He seems so well behaved now."  


“Keep talking like that and you’ll be in his good books in no time,” Raihan assured as Flygon had already abandoned his side to butt his head against Piers. He led Piers into his living room, carefully pulling off the large throw to make space for the both of them.  


“I know it’s important for the bonding process that I stay with him at all times,” Piers said, sitting down as Deino attempted to wriggle out of Piers’ hold with significant success, “but there’s no way I can keep him at my place tonight.”  


This was an Arceus-sent gift with bright neon signs that rivalled those of Spikemuth flashing all over it, and there was no way Raihan was missing it.

“Why don’t you stay over then?” Raihan said smoothly, playing it cool as he sat down across from Piers, Deino sniffing at the carpet between them, “I’ve got a pretty decently sized guest room, and the both of you would fit in just fine.”  


Piers surveyed him through his cool eyes, and Raihan steeled himself. Sure, he might have more than one motivation, but it’s not as if he was  _lying_ . There’s a pause, and then Deino rolled over, mewling in displeasure at the lack of attention afforded towards him.

“I don’t have any clothes,” Piers said eventually, returning his gaze to Deino, and Raihan grinned, knowing that the battle was already pretty much won.  


“Don’t worry, I’ve got tons you can borrow. I’ve got a laundry load to do anyway, so I’ll be happy to pop your stuff into the wash if you’d like.”  


“Are you sure? I don’t want to impose.”  


“Pish-posh,” Raihan insisted, getting up quickly and turning away to hide the growing smile on his face, because he’s only been imagining scenarios like these all day to Duraludon’s dismay, “let’s get you set up in the guest room, and if you fancy a cuppa just let me know.” 

* * *

Piers woke up to a room flooded with morning sun and something heavy on his chest, only somewhat unorthodox an experience. He cracked his eyes open lazily to a well furnished bedroom and Deino nibbling at his face lightly, and he remembered where he was. His surroundings were also decidedly less furry than he was used to, without the half dozen or so Zigzagoons and Linoones that typically found their way into his bed.  


Like the rest of Raihan’s apartment, his guest bedroom was equally polished to the point of being sterile. Sharp clean chapes, faintly dusty where fingerprints should be on its shiny, gleaming surfaces. It reminded him of high end hotels that he occasionally spent the night in, always on someone else’s dime, made to feel luxurious and exclusive, but a hotel nonetheless. Piers wondered how much time Raihan really spent in the apartment.  


Deino growled cheerfully, tearing him from his train of thought before rolling its entire body into Piers' chest.  


"Ooft… okay okay, up you get." Piers groaned, scooping Deino into his arms and shifting himself off the bed, rolling his shoulders and hearing his joints crack as he moved. Raihan's t-shirt and sweatpants hung loosely off his frame, and he shuffled slowly towards the door and out of the bedroom, careful to not let either the struggling Deino fall out of his arms or for his clothes to slide off.

He found Raihan in the kitchen, already dressed and frying eggs, whistling a tune as he worked. Raihan's Pokémon were gathered in a corner where the dining area was, chattering cheerfully as they ate.  


"Good morning!" Raihan greeted cheerfully, waving vaguely with the spatula in his hands though his eyes were kept on the frying pan, "How did you sleep?"

Piers slid into a seat at the kitchen island, Deino still held close to his chest. "Well," he admitted, "it's a very comfortable room."

Raihan laughed, "Haha, if you think that was comfortable, you should sleep in my bed," he paused, freezing in his movements. "I mean, because the bed is big. Er, that is to say…"

In his arms, Deino chortled. Piers couldn't see Raihan's face, but the tip of his ears were definitely growing red. That was new - who would have thought the ever popular Raihan could be fazed like this? Piers held back a laugh, because laughing at his host would be rude.  


"The eggs smell delicious," Piers offered, giving Raihan an out, "any chance I could get some?"

Raihan cleared his throat loudly, and Piers let him have a few more moments to compose himself, not a stranger to being clumsy with words in the morning as well.  


"Yes, yes, of course! They are for you after all," Raihan laughed weakly, spooning scrambled eggs into waiting plates, "Oh! And your clothes should be dry soon, so don't worry about that."

Raihan turned around, pushing a bright orange plate towards Piers. There was still a faint blush across his face, but his expression was otherwise schooled into his typical cheerfulness. Deino perked up excitedly, attempting to wriggle out of Piers' hold to have a go at the food. Raihan laughed, his hands held out for the baby dragon, and Piers handed Deino over to him.   


"Not a chance, buddy, I've got something prepared for you if you wanna grow up big and strong," Deino attempted to nip at Raihan in dissatisfaction, but Raihan set him down on the counter top and unravelled a sackful of berries, "Got them delivered fresh early this morning, just for you! Aren't you just the luckiest guy?"

Deino crowed, and starting munching his way through the sack. Piers watched as Raihan smiled at Deino, feeling himself quite endeared to the sight. It did a number on his insides, burning away much of the guilt he harboured at his less than superb handling of the baby pokemon.  


Compared to the low maintenance Zigzagoon, looking after Deino reminded him of how needy Marnie was when she was much younger.  


“You’re really good with him,” Piers noted.  


Raihan preened at the praise, “Thank you. Honestly, I’ve spent so much time thinking about wanting a Deino, it’s embarrassing.”  


“Does it bother you that he likes sticking to me more than you?” Piers poked at the eggs gently with a fork, guilt bubbling up inside him again, “I’m not even halfway as good with him as you are.”  


“It’s too early to say,” Raihan laughed, turning away from Deino for a moment to meet him in the eye, “You know, Piers, you’ve always been great - with people, with pokemon. This guy might be a bit more of a challenge than your run-of-the-mill Zigzagoon, but I’m sure you’ll get the hang of it in no time.”  


Piers’ lips pulled slightly, and he returned to poking his eggs, “thanks,” he said, feeling just a bit more assured.

“And then, of course, we’re going to battle, right? Dragon vs dragon?”  


Piers shot Raihan a pointed look.  


“Don’t ruin it,” he said sharply, but even he couldn’t summon enough annoyance to give his snap any bite. Raihan grinned. 

* * *

Raihan was somewhat sorry to see Piers change out of his clothes and back into his own outfit, but even he knew that kind of luck couldn’t last forever. Besides, the sight of Piers with his slightly damp hair wearing the soft scent of Raihan’s toiletries and his skin-tight clothes asking for a hair dryer was so remarkably domestic that he had to sit down for a minute to commit that sight into his memory permanently.  


By the time they got themselves properly gathered up for the day, noon was already a few hours behind them. At some point, Deino began fussing after breakfast and started gnawing on Duraludon’s tail in frustration, much to the latter’s alarm. It had taken several hours to calm him down with Raihan pulling out a trunk full of old pokemon toys, and eventually Deino was only placated by an oversized Tamato berry shaped chew toy.  


“We’re going to need to go to the store,” Raihan said, wrinkling his nose, “That used to belong to Flygon, and he doesn’t seem particularly pleased.” Flygon, normally much more patient in demeanour, was sullenly buzzing his wings in a corner of the apartment.  


“Makes sense,” Piers sighed, stretching his neck, “I know I’ve said this for the last couple of hours, but I really should get going. Marnie’s match is going to start soon.”  


“Yep yep yep,” Raihan said, putting things away, because how on earth did Deino manage to get everything Raihan owned on the floor in a matter of half a day, “you know, if you can get the little guy into his pokeball, I think I can convince Flygon to give us a ride over and we’ll be there in no time.”  


Piers raised an eyebrow, “you’re coming with?”  


Raihan paused, in the middle of fluffing up a bright orange cushion, “Uh, yeah?” he frowned, wracking his brains in thought, “why? Is that… weird?”  


Piers was doing that thing again, where he would turn away to not meet his eyes, hand coming up to scratch at the side of his head. Raihan slowly set the cushion down on the couch, feeling worry build up as he tried to figure out if he had done anything particularly revealing earlier today. It was that stupid bedroom joke wasn’t it? Oh Arceus, Raihan cringed, feeling his insides crumple. He really needed to get his morning coffee in before he started shooting his mouth off next time.

“No, that’s,” Piers shook his head, “am just surprised, that’s all. Not many people seem to find battles in Spikemuth worth the trip.”  


Raihan sagged instantly with relief.  


“Oh, that’s it?” Raihan rested a hand on his hip, cheek returning to his expression, “Come on, Piers. A battle between the current champion and one of the top gym leaders in Galar? Wouldn’t miss it for the world. Dynamax or not, that’s going to be one hell of a match.”  


He’s not sure what it was, but Piers offered him another shy smile.  


“Alright then,” Piers said, turning away to collect Deino. Raihan’s heart ached with warmth. Two smiles from Piers in one day? Clearly he was on a winning streak. Emboldened by this newfound good mood, he headed towards where Flygon was brooding, feeling rather good about the whole affair.  


It took him another half an hour and promises of a new toy along with extra spicy curry to cajole Flygon from his corner, and Piers a total of forty-five minutes to coax Deino into his pokeball.  


In a bit of showing off, Flygon zipped over in record time, and while the entire trip had been dizzying from the sheer speed at which Flygon flew, the way Piers clung on to him for dear life sort of made up for it. Almost.  


“I think this is why Corviknight taxis have pretty much replaced most other forms of Pokemon-driven flight travel,” Raihan admitted when they finally hit the ground, his legs feeling somewhat like jelly as he tried to offer Flygon a treat without shaking too much, “you doing okay?”  


Piers nodded numbly, looking even paler than usual, slouched over with his hands resting on his knees. They took a few moments to collect themselves as Flygon chewed merrily on his berries, uncaring of their pained expressions, and then Piers led them through the neon-lit streets of Spikemuth.  


Raihan could barely remember the last time he came to Spikemuth despite its proximity to Hammerlocke, but walking down the main street with Piers leading the way gave it a sort of electric energy that thrummed under his skin. Most of the shopfronts facing the road were shuttered, with faded cardboard signs plastered on the glass, but there were a handful that seemed to be in the midst of renovation works and the promise of new, incoming entrepreneurs.

“The town’s recovering slowly,” Piers said softly, a hint of pride underlining his words, “I’ve been working with Leon and town management to sort out property ownership contracts - most of them were held under a subsidiary of Macro Cosmos - and there had been loads of renegotiations to do. But we're getting somewhere.”  


“It’s amazing,” Raihan marvelled. For years, he's heard about how Spikemuth was a town on its last legs, a place doomed to slow and gradual decay. And yet, the pervasive sense of optimism lingered in the air, like a promise for things to come. This was far beyond the scope of anything he could even begin to imagine himself doing, “you’re seriously amazing.”  


"Thanks," Piers mumbled as he turned away, and in the glow of electric pink light, Raihan felt an incomprehensible need to reach out and and grab his hand, the strain in his heart positively aching in need of something more.

* * *

“Good job,” Piers said much later, in the Spikemuth Gym locker room, meaning his words. Marnie had lost to Gloria, but only briefly. If he was honest, he had expected Marnie to look at least somewhat frustrated, but she seemed oddly pleased for some reason, “to the both of you, really.”  


“It was a good match,” Marnie said, turning to Gloria, “Because of you, I’m growing stronger everyday. I’m grateful to have a rival like you.”

Piers softened at the sight of his sister exchanging smiles with the champion, glad that she was advancing in her own way. Even though he had always known Marnie would become a capable trainer that would one day surpass him, it’s a bittersweet feeling to be living in that moment as it happened. If he was honest, he was almost envious. It might have been many years ago now, but he still remembered what it was been like to do the tournament circuit alone, so he was glad that Marnie seemed to have made life-long friends with her fellow competitors.  


Eventually, Gloria left to take a call, and Marnie turned towards him, eyes sharp despite her lukewarm expression.  


“S _o_ ,” she said sweetly, “where did you go last night?”  


"Out to keep Deino away from Morpeko?"  


"You disappeared all night and showed up in Spikemuth five minutes before the match and with Raihan in tow."  


Piers blinked, scratching the back of his head, “why are you asking me a question like that if you already know the answer?”

Marnie shrugged vaguely, “I didn’t know you and Raihan were close.”  


“We’re not,” Piers said, shifting his weight from one foot to another, “it’s because of Deino.”   


“Mmhmm.” Marnie said, looking over at where Raihan was talking to Hop while keeping Deino busy with Flygon’s chew toy. Whatever it was that Raihan was saying, Hop was taking notes in earnest. “You know, he’s actually not too bad as a person.”  


Piers narrowed his eyes, “what does that mean?”  


“I think it’s good that you’re finally going out and meeting people,” Marnie said, nodding slowly.

“I’m not meeting Raihan,  _I’ve met Raihan_ . We were colleagues for five years, and now we’re ex-colleagues.” Piers snorted.

“But you could be  _friends_ ,” Marnie pointed out, because his sister was not above using his nonexistent social circle as ammunition in a casual conversation.  


Piers watched the way Raihan played with Deino and ignored the way his chest warmed at the sight.  


“Maybe,” he shrugged, “kinda busy for it now.”  


Marnie made a vague noise of disbelief, and then made her way to where the others were.  


“Hey Marnie,” Raihan and Hop said in unison. Deino rolled onto his back and crowed cheerfully in greeting.

“That was amazing,” Hop said, “Your Grimmsnarl definitely had Gloria’s Dragapult on edge, for a moment I thought it was going to swing your way.”  


“It was definitely close,” Raihan remarked, nodding in agreement, “But for future reference, I can send you some material on managing Dragapults, if you'd like.”  


"I would appreciate the advice very much," Marnie said, bowing to the both of them, "Thank you both for coming."

"Of course," Raihan said, "I'm looking forward to our next match. And you too, Piers-"

"I think it's time to get going," Piers said quickly, scooping Deino up into his arms, "everyone must be exhausted."

"Right, yes, of course," Raihan said - and for a moment Piers thought he saw a flash of disappointment on his face. That couldn't be right, could it? "You… you'll be going back to your own place tonight, then?"

"Yes…?" Piers said tentatively, wondering why it had become a question at all.

Marnie looked from Piers to Raihan slowly, and then back again, the slightest, tell tale twitch on her face that indicated she was up to no good.

"But should you?" Marnie said slowly, and there was definitely that growing migraine Piers hadn't experienced since his sister grew out of her rebellious preteen years, "I mean, weren't you just saying that Raihan had been a great help with Deino?"

"Marnie…" Piers said warningly because of course he hadn't said that, even if Marnie could read his mind. Still, he was distracted by how Raihan lit up immediately.

"Yeah! I can be helpful," Raihan said brightly, "Plus, it's good for Deino, you know? As co-parents."  


Behind him, Hop's eyes widened.

"Good for Deino." Piers repeated.

"Yup." Raihan and Marnie chorused, as Hop's mouth hung open with an unspoken question.  


Piers sighed, contemplating his options. He could insist on heading home and spend the next three months listening to Marnie lecture him about missed opportunities and his inevitable descent into a lonely, bitter old man. Alternatively, he could spend the next few however-many days with Raihan dodging battle invites while getting some genuinely useful help with raising Deino, and then they could eventually part ways with Piers being able to tell Marnie that he had tried his best to make friends and oh, nothing more could be done about it.  


On the balance of it, one of those options seemed decidedly less painful. He's just annoyed that Marnie and Raihan seemed to be have built up some kind of rapport against him when he wasn't looking.

"Only if it's not too much trouble," Piers said, and Raihan swung an arm around his shoulder enthusiastically, pulling him so close his cheek was pressed up against Raihan's chest, their height difference disgustingly apparent.

"Of course not!" Raihan exclaimed enthusiastically, and only Piers saw the way Marnie's expression turned smug.

And, apparently, that was that.


	2. Chapter 2

Raihan had explained that Deinos took an extraordinarily long time to grow, even for Dragon type Pokémon. There were some obvious signs that one was starting to mature, like a growing streak of independence and willingness to spend more time apart from their parent figure, and an eagerness to start fights with other Pokémon.   


For now, though, Deino remained unwilling to part from Piers, at times becoming inconsolable when Piers was out of sight for too long. On the upside, Deino was also becoming used to Raihan as well, and it made it far easier for them to organise a schedule that would allow them to work through Deino’s (very frequently literal) teething period.

Whatever lingering hesitation that Piers seemed to harbour about their arrangement of temporary cohabitation, he didn't make abundantly clear to Raihan. Instead, the both of them had settled into a wonderfully domestic routine. Raihan had learnt an incredible amount of detail about Piers over their time together, more than he’s ever known about the other man in their years spent as colleagues, even though he’d always been the gym leader in just the next town over.   


In the week that they’ve spent together, Raihan had since memorised the way Piers liked his tea (extra strong with no sugar or milk), the way his massive head of damp hair would be neatly braided behind him after a shower, the way he always insisted on eating with no distractions from their phones or the television, explained as a hangover from his childhood. He’s learnt every shade of colour that Piers came in, from his dark, post rehearsal hues of smudged make up to his pale skin that glowed in morning light just after waking. The sight of Piers just being around his house - whether it was him absentmindedly playing with his Pokémon or studying a pile of papers that he had sprawled out on the dining room table - was something Raihan got used to quickly, and he was sure he would miss the way Piers easily became a fixture of his otherwise lonely apartment.

Outside, Piers was all sharp angles and quick wit to put others at a distance, but something about being at home changed his demeanor. He’s softer, draped in his pale woolen sweaters and curled up on the sofa (almost always on the right side), and the only sharpness that hadn’t been rounded off were his tongue and the look in his eye, though this time wielded mostly for humour.   


Raihan catalogued all of this instances in his mind, unashamedly luxuriating in vividly embellished daydreams when he was alone.

They were eight days or so into their new arrangement when Raihan came home to find Piers sitting on the carpet with his back leaning against the sofa as he read. Next to him was a stern-faced pokemon, kneeling patiently on the floor in meditation as Deino gnawed on its arm eagerly. It made for quite the comedic sight, and Raihan would have loved to take a quick photo if he was sure the new pokemon wouldn’t lash out to cut his Rotom phone in half on demand.

“I didn’t know you had a Bisharp on your team,” Raihan said, letting his own pokemon out of their balls.

“I don’t,” Piers said, looking up briefly from the stack of papers that he had been reading, “I called up my uncle Grimsley to borrow it - he keeps two of them so the one on his line-up is kept sharp, or something. Thought I would give Duraludon a break from being the go to chew-toy.”

“And Duraludon appreciates it, I am sure.”   


Duraludon chirped cheerfully in response, giving Bisharp a nod of acknowledgement before he wandered off. Despite spending several hours shopping around the high street, they did not find anything that Deino actually liked more than chewing on Duraludon, and so the metal dragon pokemon had resigned itself to be Deino’s defacto chew toy. Raihan was glad that his team were so accepting of Deino (and by extension, Piers) into their pack. There would be no end to his headache if they had been anything otherwise.   


Piers hummed.   


“Up for dinner?” Piers asked as he pushed himself up, setting his papers aside. Raihan caught a glimpse of it and saw that Piers was reviewing some sheet music, and turned away quickly.

“Starving,” Raihan said, stretching, “Should we order in? You can have a look around Delibirdee and see what’s good while I get out the food for these guys.”

Piers nodded, and Raihan got to work in the kitchen. For the most part, Raihan kept his pokemon on a strict diet of fresh berries and carefully prepared meals with calculated nutritional precision. Piers had found it curious and would occasionally watch from the kitchen counter as Raihan cooked, just as he was doing now.

“I ordered us some curry. You know, Zigzagoon would eat from the rubbish bin if I let him,” Piers confessed suddenly as Raihan set some berry purée into a square metal tin, to Raihan's horror, “but Malamar fancies itself to be proper posh and only eats Kalosian-style grub, so that’s what everyone gets now.”   


"Really?" Raihan chuckled nervously as he put the tray into the refrigerator once he got over the shock of thinking about Turtonator eating out of a dumpster, "Malamar seems to enjoy my cooking just fine."

"I suppose you're the exception, then." Piers said, and he did so with such an intensity in his eyes that Raihan's heart skipped a beat.   


He's saved from having to answer when the doorbell rang, and Piers slid off his seat at the kitchen island to answer the door, buying him time to work off the searing warmth spreading across his skin. Instead, he heard Leon’s voice floating from the hallway, and he hopped over, almost getting tangled in his apron in the process.   


On the other side of his front door, Leon looked from him to Piers slowly, expression morphing into one that was somewhere between surprise and amusement.   


Piers spoke first, his hand finding its way to tug nervously at the ring on his choker, “well… I guess I’m going back in,” he said, and then slunk back towards the living room.   


Raihan folded his arms, pouting slightly as Leon looked at him with unrestrained glee, “alright Leon, what’s up?”

“You see, when I had to hear from my little brother that my best friend in the whole world was living with another man, I couldn’t believe my ears,” Leon said, eyebrow raised in a manner that he probably thought made him look sly but only made emphasized his goofy face, “is this why you’ve been so quiet on pokegram lately? I haven’t seen a selfie from you in days.”   


“I’ve been busy,” Raihan asserted, “taking care of a baby Deino is hard work, you know? Plus, I had to write up a new training schedule for my gym trainers so we’d be ready for the next tourney season - all that stuff.”   


“Mmhmm,” Leon said, disbelieving, and then his voice lowered to a whisper, “you know, if you think I haven’t seen the way you’ve been mooning after Piers ever since your champion tournament match, you’ve got another thing coming.”   


“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Raihan said, ears burning as he did, “but if you bring that up again I’m not going to let you in.”   


“Nah,” Leon shook his head, “I was only in Hammerlocke to check on the power plant, and I thought to come by and see how you’re living it up.”

“Have you got a place to stay?” Raihan rolled his eyes as he asked, because no matter what Leon was still his best friend, even if said best friend was the type that would go to his doorstep to make fun of him, “sure it’s not too late for you to find your way home?”   


“Very funny,” Leon snorted, and then jerked a thumb behind him, “actually, I asked one of the reactor staff to show me the way here and he’s still waiting at the lift lobby so I should get going. Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.”   


Raihan shook his head, a small laugh escaping him as he shoved Leon, bidding him goodbye.   


When he eventually returned to his living room after saying his goodbyes, Piers had gone back to perusing his papers. Piers looked up, eyebrow raised to see him alone. “Sorry. Am I in the way?”

“Nah. Leon said he was only here to say hi,” Raihan shrugged, “to the both of us. Because of Hop.”   


Piers shook his head, smiling despite himself.   


“That brat,” he mumbled vaguely under his breath.

Raihan snorted, because as much as Piers wanted to be rude about it, he knew Piers had a soft spot for Leon's little brother. Even though Raihan had been friends with Leon for ages, Hop was not quite as chummy with him as he was with Piers, despite their much shorter acquaintanceship.   


"No harm done," Raihan laughed, and flopped down next to Piers, "so, whilst we wait, wanna tell me about your day?"

* * *

It’s weird, but for the most part, Piers was starting to get used to being in Raihan’s apartment. He’s never really lived with someone that wasn’t a family member before, and despite his reservations about being in the way, Raihan and his pokemon seem to really enjoy having him around.   


In fact, he found that Raihan seemed oddly persistent in spending time with him, having exchanged bothering him for pokemon battles with excuses to hang out. The ways in which Raihan attempted to do as much only grew each day: Raihan insisting on having their meals together; Raihan convincing him to go shopping with him; Raihan tagging along for Piers’ errands back to Spikemuth whenever he wasn’t otherwise occupied. His justifications mostly went along the lines of staying close to Deino, but more recently, Raihan had taken to asking Piers for his opinion on his outfit before leaving the house, an affair that sometimes took the better half of an hour.   


It’s a whole routine.   


Piers had a whole damn routine with Raihan, even though they’ve only been living together for a little more than a week.   


Still, if he was honest, it was hardly the worst thing - Marnie had been right in that Piers had spent too much time over the last few years keeping to himself, and it was nice to know that Raihan actually made for a surprisingly nice friend to have. Maybe he shouldn’t have laughed all those years ago when Kabu said Piers and Raihan would get along.   


“No obligation on your part, of course,” Raihan said as he waved his Rotom phone around, the pokepedia page for some movie pulled up on the screen, “buuuut I do like spending my Friday evenings tucked in at home for movie night, and I think you’ll really enjoy this one.”   


Piers raised an eyebrow at Raihan’s borderline pleading as he put away their dishes from dinner. “Huh. Not a big fan of the weekend clubbing crowd?” Raihan’s extremely active pokegram feed seemed to tell a different story at first glance.   


“Ehh,” Raihan shrugged, “it gets a bit much sometimes. Anyway, I’ve got you here! Unless, uhm, you want to go clubbing together?”   


“Not particularly,” Piers said honestly, scratching at his cheek, “find it difficult to go anywhere with live music and not spend the whole time thinking about the composition of the performance. Don’t exactly make for a fun companion at clubs.”   


“I’m sceptical, but I won’t push for now,” Raihan said, “so how about it?”   


Piers conceded, partly out of a lack of anything else to do, with Marnie claiming to be busy for the second Friday night in a row. It’s not that he didn’t believe her, it’s just that the oddly vague phrasing and coincidental timing led him to believe that she was hiding something. Either she was out on a date, or… well. Anyway.   


“What movie is this, then?” Piers asked, taking his usual seat on the right hand corner of the couch, with Deino jumping onto his lap almost as soon as he did.   


“It’s a science-fiction action film challenging the norms of justice and exploring the nature of what it means to be human!” Raihan said excitedly, throwing himself on the sofa next to Piers. The rest of their pokemon followed, finding their way to fit around them, and Deino took advantage of the increased real estate to sprawl out over both their laps, his tiny feet kicking on Raihan’s thigh like the spoilt brat he was.

The movie turned out to be Full Metal Cop. Either Raihan thought Piers didn’t know about Brycen-man or was embarrassed about wanting to watch it. Piers had seen this movie several times, though always with Marnie, enough that he knew almost all the lines by heart.   


It seemed to be new for Raihan, though, who kept his eyes glued to the screen the whole time, fingers squeezed on Duraludon’s arm, wincing with every intense blow and jumping at every surprise, their arms brushing together as he did. Piers found himself more so intrigued by every emotion that’s painted on Raihan’s face than the movie, turning over covertly to glance every time he knew there was a good twist around the corner. The childish glee that came on Raihan’s face whenever Mecha Cop triumphed was more satisfying than the movie’s fictional victory.   


Before the soft, flashing blue lights of the television, Raihan's eyes seemed to glow, his movements and reactions more organic, more genuine. Without the baggage of keeping up appearances for others, without the weight of expectations, Raihan was so painfully bright, like staring into the midday sun. Piers wondered why he had not noticed this before, and if Raihan leaned into him slightly after a particularly thrilling action sequence, well, Piers wasn't about to say anything about it.

He barely noticed when the credits rolled and he was almost sorry that the movie ended. Raihan turned to him in some kind of satisfaction, smiling in its afterglow.

“What? Why are you looking at me like that? Captivated by my charm?” Raihan joked, running his hand through his hair even as his voice trembled slightly, "Anyway, I had a good time. Did you?"

"Yeah," Piers found himself saying, even if it was for reasons outside of the movie, even if the smile that Raihan offered him in response incited feelings that did not feel like simple friendship. Raihan’s warm person was still pressed up against his side, and it occured to Piers then that he didn’t particularly want this night to end just yet, “wasn’t there some kind of sequel?”   


Raihan positively lit up. 

* * *

Leon had spent all morning shooting him surreptitious looks of  _that sort_ from the other side of Wyndon Stadium’s viewing box which Raihan could feel even without looking in that direction. Watching cold auditions for gym leadership was normally boring enough, even if a necessary part of their duties. Still, Raihan thought somewhat bitterly as recalled Duraludon into his ball, the least Leon could do was give Raihan more face as the lead challenger for the day and actually pay attention to Raihan’s new and improved strategies. He had spent weeks working on them after all, even though the fresh blood that have come seeking a position on the roster had barely warranted them.   


Talk about Monday blues.   


“It was a good effort,” Raihan said honestly as he shook hands with Number Four, “Although you ought to have done your homework and looked up appropriate moves for double matches - knocking out your own Krookodile with a move like Surf is quite the careless mistake.”   


Number Four sulked off the field and Raihan marched back into the viewing box, staring around at the other gym leaders and beloved ex-champion and the newly minted Pokemon League Chairman Leon.

“Good job,” Milo, nearest to the door, said as he offered Raihan a fresh towel, “though I doubt you even dropped a sweat though.”   


“Ah, don’t say that,” Raihan said, burying his face in soft fluffiness, “how many more have we got for today? I’m starving.”   


“Only two more to go and then we break for lunch,” Milo said, checking his phone, “by the way what’s wrong with Leon? He’s been looking at you funny all morning.”   


“Probably got hit by a stray Zubat,” Raihan commented, “I’ll tell him it’s gonna freeze like that, wait one sec.”   


He strode across the viewing box, returning greetings from the other chattering gym leaders as he did, until he was face to face with Leon, who was smirking blatantly and probably up to no good at all.

“Yo,” Raihan asserted.

“Hello Raihan,” Leon said cheerfully, grinning from ear to ear as he did, “excellent showing this morning.”   


“Mm. You have something to say. Spit it out.” Raihan shot a quick look at Marnie, who was thankfully watching whatever odd argument Melony and Gordie seemed to be having about the real merits of Aurorus.   


“Okay first of all, Raihan, I ask this as your friend,” Leon whispered, “but did something good happen? You’re been smirking all morning, but even I could tell that it’s your way of smiling like a dope.”   


“Huh?” Raihan turned back to meet Leon’s eye, “I had a very ordinary weekend, thanks for asking like a normal person.”   


Actually, he had a great weekend, because somehow movie night on Friday turned into a movie marathon as he and Piers worked through the entirety of Brycen’s filmography in one sitting. And maybe it’s a bit stupid, but when he jumped during a particularly bloody scene midway through Invaders, Piers put his hand over his in comfort and didn’t let go until the movie was over.   


Arceus, was this why everyone was banging on about watching horror movies with someone you liked?   


Leon maintained an expression of mild disbelief when he put his hand on Raihan’s shoulder, and Raihan had to hand it to him for his commitment. “Uh, sure. I mean, it helps that you’re actually looking more menacing than usual. You know, Marnie’s been covertly taking photos of your face and texting it to _someone_. As your trusted friend, I took it upon myself to get a copy," Leon pulled an image up on his Rotom phone and showed it to Raihan.

Raihan balked when he saw the photo, “you let me go out with a face like that?”

It’s not the worst expression on him, but somehow his face was frozen on some kind of leery dopiness that made his typical smugness even more apparent. That might explain why the candidates today all seemed particularly sullen.   


Leon smirked, patting him on the back twice, “well, you’ve got two more to review, best to fix your face before then.”   


Raihan’s not sure what that was supposed to entail, but he went out and beat Numbers Five and Six into a pulp anyway, trying his best to say nicer things post-match to make up for whatever damage his face was doing to his reputation. That didn’t stop them from sulking off the field, but frankly that wasn’t really Raihan’s problem, his mind somewhat more focused on the meal ahead as he nipped into the showers for a quick wash.

They broke for lunch in one of the conference rooms at the stadium, a generous spread of food set up over the long table they were gathered at as they discussed the candidates for the day. Undoubtedly, all of them had failed, but on occasion, someone might have spotted some noteworthy potential and decide to take them on for further training. Raihan didn’t think any of them were particularly interesting however, and waited for the conversation to slowly slip into something more akin to informal chatter.

Next to him Marnie looked like she really wanted to ask him something. Raihan hoped she would change her mind about it before they closed for the day. Even without Leon smirking at him, even without that unfamiliar lightness in his heart, Raihan was still working through the mess of emotions he held towards Piers, and he’s not sure he could comment on it coherently when asked.   


Instead, it was Kabu that spoke to him first, coming over to take the seat that Melony had abandoned.   


“So, Raihan,” Kabu said, “how are you doing?”   


There’s an intense pressure radiating behind him as Raihan turned to face Kabu, and even without looking, he could tell Marnie was listening in.

“Everything’s fine!” Raihan said, pulling up photos on his Rotom phone, “look at how well Deino is doing. Honestly, the new love of my life.”   


For sure, it’s only been a week but his photos of Deino (and by extension, Piers) numbered in the hundreds. He swiped through the recent most photos of them, of Deino sleeping, sprawled out next to Piers taking an afternoon nap, Deino playing with Piers’ Bisharp while Piers read, Deino being fed berry puree by a smiling Piers.   


“You seem to have a lot of photos of my brother,” Marnie said casually, and it’s a completely fair fact. A simple statement. Nothing more to it, Raihan was sure.   


“Well, Deino did take more to Piers than he did for me,” Raihan said, slipping the phone back into his pocket, hoping that no one else could hear how fast his heart was beating all of a sudden.   


“It does appear that the both of you are taking to the task seriously,” Kabu said with satisfaction, “I am pleased to hear that Deino is in safe hands.”   


And then with a firm pat on Raihan’s shoulder, he strode off, leaving him alone with Marnie.   


“So,” Raihan said, spinning around in his chair slowly to meet her, realizing then that he hadn’t quite figured out what to say.

“I’m glad you’re friends with my bro,” Marnie said slowly, and it was immediately apparent then that Marnie and Piers were definitely siblings. The way her steely stare seemed to read the entirety of Raihan’s soul was exactly like Piers’. Still, he was feeling guilty for no reason, Raihan told himself.

“Piers is a top mate,” Raihan said slowly, unsure of where this conversation was going, “and I’m happy for his friendship.”   


“Mm,” Marnie commented noncommittally, then put her hands down on her lap neatly, “you know, you’ve probably never seen it, but my bro gets really scary when he’s angry.”   


Raihan blinked. “uhm, okay?”   


“Yeah,” Marnie nodded to herself, “couple years back some ex-gangsters from Johto, I think, tried to move in and start an operation in Galar. They planted their headquarters in Spikemuth, real dodgy stuff, lots of pokemon smuggling and all. Anyway, when big bro found out about it he was right livid, the maddest I’ve ever seen him get. Stormed their building and single handedly wiped them all out within a day. When the bobbies finally got there, he had rounded all of them up in a neat bow for delivery. Did the job for them and then some.”   


“Wait, that was Piers?” Raihan whistled, recalling the panic when word had spread about some ex-operatives from Team Rocket that had all of them on high alert, apparently only resolved when Macro Cosmos stepped in, ”didn’t Rose get all the credit for that?”   


Marnie shrugged, “well, big bro wanted to keep himself out of the papers, but that’s not the point. Just thought you’d find that interesting.”   


Raihan supposed he did, though perhaps not necessarily in the way Marnie was expecting. He’d always had a healthy amount of respect for Piers, both as a person and as a trainer after all, and a story like that sounded entirely like Piers. If anything, it only served to further deepen the attraction that Raihan held towards him.

“Right,” Raihan said, “uh, thanks. I’ll make sure not to piss off Piers. Keeping him happy, you’ve got my word on that.”   


Wait, what was he saying? What was this conversation about again? On the other hand, on the subject of making Piers happy - Raihan had an idea that he had been stewing over for a while now.

“Hey, listen,” Raihan said, shifting in his seat, “there’s something I wanna ask of you.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> a day late because I was pooped out from work yesterday
> 
> rereading this made me realize just how much i was absolutely winging it while writing this LOL but short of a full rewrite which I just don't have the mental bandwidth for, I think I've really written myself into a corner :/
> 
> I'll probably keep saying this but I really do think this is one of my worst pieces so pls don't judge me too harshly

**Author's Note:**

> wow my first multichap fic huh let's see how this ship goes
> 
> I wrote this back in Nov last year for Nano2020 and it's been sitting in my folders ever since because I actually... didn't like it that much. But I love KBNZ and I hate how small the community seems to be, and I just really wanted to contribute at least something, so here we are. Forcing myself to edit this is actually my procrastination on editing/writing other things lol. 
> 
> I've already written everything out and it's around 22.5k in length, spanning 5 chapters. Expect updates every Monday, a promise that I will struggle to hold myself to but am making the effort to try anyway. 
> 
> This fic's premise comes from a Taiwanese drama I randomly heard about, in which two dudes start looking after a child together because the mum doesn't know who the dad is and doesn't have time to look after the baby. It doesn't end in romance but I was like, what if though?? and we make it kbnz??? and we make it a Deino because Deinos are adorable. Fic title comes from an apparently popular parenting book called "And Baby Makes Three" 
> 
> i'm also on [twitter](https://twitter.com/exactlyxachyn) if you wanna talk about kbnz even though my acct gives no obvious indication of that


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